The Bass Drums of Maracatu

Introduction
Performance
Wearing a Maracatu Drum
Shell
 Bombos
Alfaias
Arrangements
Choosing
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From the state of Pernambuco comes maracatu, a processional style derived from Congolese ceremonial music. There are two types of maracatu. One is a mostly percussion-based urban style called baque virado. The instrumentation is simple: bass drums, snare drum, shakers, bells, and occasionally a small guitar or cavaquinho. The bass drums play a characteristic off-beat that gives the baque virado ("inverted beat") style its name.

The playing technique of maracatu bass drums is rather unique. They are traditionally strapped over the shoulder. Worn to the left side, the drum is in an awkward position for the left hand.

These drums are played with distinctly-shaped fat wooden drumsticks; usually, the stick in the dominant hand is a little larger than the one used in the weak hand. Players hold the the smaller drumstick inverted to get the proper attack on the head. The players use a snapping motion that takes a while to get used to.

You can see the playing technique to the right, and the sticks (baquetas) on the far right. Click on each photo to enlarge.

For maracatu, the bass drums are worn over one shoulder. Usually it is worn over the shoulder of the playing hand, with the drum on the opposite side. However, many players wear the drum slung over the opposite shoulder, with the drum hanging straight down. See the photo on the right. The two women on the right are wearing theirs in the latter fashion.

I have tried this and found it awkward.

The strap is anchored at one point on the drum.

There are two kinds of bass drums played in maracatu. One is is an older style called an alfaia, which I will get to later. The other is basically a surdo, which I will refer to as a bombo (a word that can be used for any South American bass drum, including alfaias). There are some bands in Pernambuco who use both drums in their line-up.

Bombos are essentially surdos with wooden shells and metal tuning hardware. The size range of the drums have a head diameter from 16" to 24". Also like samba surdos, the depth of a full-sized bombo is about 60cm (24").

The three sizes are:

• Marcante—22"-24", is used for the foundation beat.
• Meião— 18" to 20", is used to support the foundation and provide some fills.
• Repique— 16" to 20", is for the virado, the triplets played with a swing feel.

Like traditional samba surdos, they feature hand-wrapped hide heads made of the hides of cattle or goats. Musicians wrap the hide around rings, called flesh hoops. Goatskin gives a mellower sound than calf, but is more delicate is affected by dampness and cold even more than calf.

Alfaias

Related to surdos is a more-traditional style of Brazilian bass drum called an alfaia. Alfaias come from Pernambuco, a state on the eastern tip of Brazil, where they are used in maracatu, mangue, and related music forms. Well-known regional artists such as Chico Science & Nacão Zumbi and Mestre Ambrosio use them in their performances and recordings. There seems to be a rise in interest in these great drums in recent years.

These drums resemble Andean bombos but the larger ones have dimensons more like a surdo. The first feature one notices that sets them apart from their urban counterparts is the rope tuning. The two cow- or goathide heads are clamped to the wooden body with thick wooden hoops. The hoops are threaded with rope which is used for tensioning the heads. Alfaias are played with distinctly-shaped fat wooden drumsticks. In addition to bombos, their construction is also similar to 19th Century US and European military drums. They often have a rustic, natural look, but I also have seen many brilliant colors.

Playing technique differs from the standard surdo style as well. They are traditionally strapped over the shoulder. Worn to the left side, the drum is in an awkward position for the left hand. Players hold the left drumstick inverted to get the proper attack on the head. In some mangue bands, such as Nacão Zumbi, the alfaia-players wear the drums strapped around the waist, much like surdos in Bahia.

Three women playing maracatu de baque virado on alfaias. Click.

There seems to be a new trend of major Brazilian drum manufacturers producing their own versions of alfaias. Is this due to the mangue boom?

The first I was aware of was Contemporanea, who makes them from 18" to 22". I bought one myself a while back. Contemporanea seems to have done a good job of reproducing the maracatu "surdo de corda" quite well. I am finally getting the hang of the playing technique. Alfaias are lightweight, a welcome feature after carrying a metal surdo through two-hour parades.

Joining Contemporanea is Bauer, who has released a photo showing three different sizes of alfaias. From appearances, they have Bauer's usual high quality.

Alfaias are also known as surdos de cordas, and are included in the class of bass drums called bombos, which includes surdo drums and zabumbas as well. The largest alfaias are called alfaia marcante. Medium-sized drums are called alfaia meião. I have also heard them referred to as bombo marçacão and bombo virador, though I'm not sure what distinguishes the two.

There is a web page by the German band, SambaMania, that shows the construction of one of their alfaias. They also have many photos of their colorful, locally-made alfaias. Check the "Buildergalerie" (Photo Gallery).

I stole the photo at right from this website. It has photos of wonderful, crude, handmade alfaias in use. Click the photo for the whole image.

Maracatu Arrangements

I can't seem to figure out any standard lineup. The drums come in all dimensions, from shallow and wide to deep and narrow. The safest rule is that the larger bombos/alfaias play the simpler marcante (marcação) part, and the smaller play the more complex virador parts.

For portability, smaller is better, of course. Tiny drums are easier to transport and wear during play. They also take up less room at home. Heads are cheaper and shells are stronger at the same thickness. However, the main reason for large drums is loudness (not to mention potential advertizing space). Also, large drums have a wider useful tuning range than small ones.

Pitch is a relative thing. Usually, in a bateria with multiple drums, you want to tune them differently. Each size drum has a comfortable range for its head diameter. Too tight, the sound has no fullness and dies very quickly. Too loose, it will sound/feel mushy and lose volume. Thus, in a small group, you may want each drum to have a different head diameter.

In big bands that want to play loudly, the three standard sizes are 18", 20", and 22". For maracatu, this gives you a repique, a meião, and a marcante. For instance, if you are in a band that has a 18" and a 22", you might want to buy a 20".

I have experience with a few brands of bombo, which is a surdo with a wooden shell and wrapped hide heads. Here is my personal take on them. None of these come with wrapped hide heads. The ones with natural heads have pre-mounted calfskin.

Bauer (Raul)
Very high quality. The main downside to Bauer's surdos is that they are heavy.

Special Considerations:

• Heavy
• Lugs may loosen during play if drum tuned too low

Contemporanea
Contemporanea is a (relatively) high-quality instrument. It has one of the best sounds I've heard among bombos. They make a range in wood from 14" to 24". Available in the US at Mameluco Trading, BrazilDrums, and Earth Vibe. Also through Brazilian distributor BrazlianPercussion.com. You can't go too wrong with Contemporanea; they are a good choice.

Special Considerations:

• None

Gope
Gope seems to be a standard drum for world samba bands. When I first published this page in about 2000, I questioned their quality. But recently I have seen their newer bombos, and they seem to be well manufactured. Many of the bombos they sell have wooden shells. In the Netherlands, there is an importer called Redondo Música that seems to be a big supplier of Gope in Europe.

Special Considerations:

• None

RMV
RMV surdos have a unique tuning system that dispenses with separate nuts. Craftsmanship is among the best. You can get them through BrazlianPercussion.com and they are distributed through Latin Percussion dealers (LP) in the US.

Special Considerations:

• Rods screw into fixed nuts--less flexibilty for repairs/customizing and weaker than standard tuning

I have only owned a Contemporanea alfaia. The rest I made myself. But here is my best take on them:

Bauer (Raul)
I have only seen some photos of these drums. I have never seen them on sale. Bauer's instruments are normally of high quality.

Special Considerations:

• None

Contemporanea
Contemporanea makes (relatively) high-quality instruments. Their alfaias, quite well designed, actually, were available through Brazilian distributor BrazlianPercussion.com., but I haven't seen them there lately.

Special Considerations:

• None

Maureliano Barravento
By most accounts, this is the alfaia to own, the standard of the industry. They come with a variety of tasteful patterns created in the wooden shell. Available at BrazlianPercussion.com.

Special Considerations:

• None